Thursday, September 29, 2011

Taiji chuan, yoga and most martial arts are a way for the mind to interact with the body ; meditation is a way for the mind to interact with the mind. It's a lot of calm and self reflection. This calm and peaceful feeling goes beyond what I had experienced with a session of gongfu cha. Even though drinking tea is already very relaxing, meditation goes even further, according to my short experience of several months. What is very interesting is that it's also possible to combine meditation and tea.

There are lots of different meditation techniques. The one I practice is as follows: I sit down on the floor, eyes open, and I count '1' in my head as I inhale, '2' as I exhale, '3' as I inhale... until '10' and then I start again, and I do this for 10-15 minutes. This may seem simple and boring, but it's amazing how difficult it can be to remain focused on breathing and counting. Lots of other thoughts try to surface and distract you! I find this exercise very beneficial to learn to enjoy the present moment.

As I have started to practice meditation, I have noticed that many readers and/or tea bloggers also meditate. I think that some of the benefits for tea making are obvious: a relaxed mind will prepare tea with greater care and focus. As one learns to live in the moment, we enjoy more the simple things in life, like a cup of tea. So, meditation before making tea helps to put us in a calmer, more receptive mood.
The goal is to continue to have an empty mind while making tea and not let any thought distract you. Today, I tried to continue to count to 10 during my gongfu cha, but found it difficult as I was handling the accessories. It was easier to do so during the brewing of the leaves, while waiting, but almost impossible while drinking from the cup. So many scents, tastes, feelings are happening all at once!

However, there was another good opportunity to meditate: after finishing the tea and placing the cup back on its saucer/tray. I enjoyed the finesse and strength of the aftertaste of my spring Ali Shan Oolong with much more detail and length. The pleasant effects on my palate and my body left a stronger impression. This is where I was glad I had picked an outstanding tea with a great character. With a fully conscious mind, the tea reveals itself, as it is.

Monday, September 26, 2011

This High Moutain Hung Shui Oolong is best brewed after it had time to rest after its roasting. In the past, before trains and planes, this helped preserved the freshness of the leaves until they arrived (by boat, horse carriage...) to the customer. Now, they arrive vacuum packed within days of ordering and without having really rested. When the foil is opened, the fragrance of young roasted Oolong is much less pleasant than that of a fresh High Mountain Oolong.

Teaparker's storage book, confirmed by my experiments, showed that a good jar is key to good Hung Shui. Unfortunately, industrial porcelain doesn't improve the tea very much (that's why I stopped selling those jars when I realized this). Antique porcelain jars can have excellent results, but are difficult to find and quickly expensive. That's why I have worked with David Louveau, Michel François and Petr Novak to produce traditionally made tea jars.

What is truly magic and amazing is that just a few minutes inside such a jar will change the fragrance of the tea, and, ultimately, even its taste! The plastic, unnatural smell goes away very quickly and a sweet, refined fragrance appears. Teaparker likens this effect to a wine decanter: a young red wine will open up much faster after being poured in a decanter.

Petr Novak sent me some cups and 3 jars in early 2010. This gave me the opportunity to test which clay and glaze reacted best with tea. Later, he sent more different jars and one made with the same clay, glaze that I liked best, and with this simple shape: roundish with a single cover on top. And since this jar had the best results, I asked him to make more.

The clay is technical porcelain (not 100% pure, but more natural). Petr has thrown and trimmed these jars by hand on the wheel. After a first bisque fire in electric kiln to 1000°C, Petr glazed the outside and the inside with Czech soda feldspar with a small amount of white clayand. Then he fired the jars in a wood kiln for 20 hours to around 1300°C.

The inside of the cover lets appear unglazed portions. It's a good place to see what the clay is made of. Notice the small impurities.

Made in June 2011, I have already washed them once. However, I recommend that you do it again after you receive one: immerse in clean water, wipe the surface with a clean cloth and let the uncovered jar dry under the sun.

(The problem with most -all?- industrial porcelain jars is that even if you clean it well, it will continue to have an unnatural smell inside.)

The jar fits approximately 150 grams of rolled Oolong. (More or less, since each of this handmade jars is a little bit different). The price of such a jar by Petr Novak is the same as Michel François' jar in my current list. And, it includes a well padded cloth with belt to protect the jar like seen below!

Petr also made some matching, big 10 cl cups (for thirsty drinkers!) with the same clay, glaze and process.

The tea tastes well balanced and mellow from this cup. The color is darker than in the ivory white cup, as the glaze is a little darker and the cup is deeper. It's not a small gongfu cha cup, but one that would well suit a little bit more casual drinking style.

It weighs approximately 100 grams and costs the same price as a white porcelain competition set in my selection.

So, how does this Hung Shui Oolong perform after being subjected to a short stay in Petr's jar?

The dry leaf fragrance in the jar smells like a light, but powerful bouquet of spring flowers. This natural smell doesn't irritate the nose (like artificial flavors do) but stimulates the palate and makes me salivate. It's so pure and refined!

The brew is golden and clear. It tastes smooth, lively and sweet. The aftertaste is so fine. Is this divine liquid still tea, or is it the kiss from Shan Lin Shi?

Advice: to use a jar as a 'decanter' instead of as a permanent jar helps to make a more efficient use of it. For most tea fans, including me, it's just not possible to purchase a jar for each roasted Oolong we keep. However, with just one good jar, you can refine all the roasted Oolongs you'll drink, if you use it as a decanter! Just make sure to clean and air it after each tea. (And once you see its use, you'll want to start to store for a longer time...)

Thursday, September 22, 2011

A sudden drop in temperature coincides with the start of autumn in Taiwan. The cool breeze calls for a warm and mature tea. It's a very good time to drink raw, wild puerh again.

My Cha Xi is very similar to the one I designed to match the event "Autumn colors on the Chiao and Hua Mountains". However, today I'm using my ivory white gaiwan instead of a zhuni teapot. Following the hot Taiwanese summer, I want a neutral brewing of my 2003 wild Yiwu cake. The gaiwan is the simple, elegant accessory that makes gongfu cha affordable to all. It's not as simple to use as a teapot, but that's also where one can gain skills that will improve the tea.

For instance, since porcelain doesn't retain heat as well as clay, the preheating of the gaiwan (including its cover!) is a key success factor:
- use just boiled water,
- touch the cover to make sure that it's hot
- without haste, don't wait too long to put the leaves and the pour the hot water, after you've emptied the preheating water in the cups. Everything should be ready in advance: the puerh should be flaked before you start preheating the gaiwan. If it's very cold, you may even want to preheat the gaiwan twice!

- use a little more leaves than you would with a teapot,

- (for puerh) pour the boiling water rather low and strong to avoid cooling in mid air.

- and, if it's a good tea, let it brew a little longer than with a teapot. You can wait until the water that covers the edges of the cover retreats inside below.

- leave your cover on the gaiwan between brews to retain the heat of the wet leaves.

One of the most basic qualities of puerh and tea in general is a clean feeling. (The brew should be clear, not cloudy). It should leave the mouth comfortable, with a nice 'buzz' similar to a gentle massage. Sweetness is coating the palate and throat. And even if 8 years mean tamed and more quiet fragrances, the cha qi unfolds strong and harmoniously. My upper body feels warm and, on the second brew, my forefront and hands feel moist.

Now, I enjoy the cool, dry autumn air. It's nice to be able to turn off the A/C and fans again. The breath of fresh air combined with the natural warmth of this puerh feels good.

In spring, we taste different things, 'unfaithfully', choosing between what we like or not. The fall season is the harvest season, a time of commitment and deeper love. We are 'harvesting' our past decisions. Some teas are shunned, like old classmates who became annoying. Luckily, there are leafs that still comfort and please us every time they visit our cups. We know them well, and yet, each encounter is unique.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Last week, I scheduled the visit of 4 guests on the same day! This allowed me to drive them to a beautiful spot just half an hour away from Banciao. I had discovered this place in spring, in the the moutains of Toucheng, with 2 other tea visitors.

We brewed tea on this small hill covered by luscious trees (picture on the left).

After the short climb, I set up the Cha Xi and started a charcoal fire on the Nilu to heat the spring water we had collected a few moments earlier. On this hot day, I had prepared 4 different teas from my selection. From the lighter to the heavier, we tasted the 2011 Ali Shan Jinxuan, a 2011 fall Lushan Oolong, a 2010 spring 2 Shan Lin Shi Hung Shui Oolong and a 2011 Yunnan Dian Hong.

We use a neutral Shan Shui qinghua gaiwan to brew the first 3 Oolongs. For the Hung Shui Oolong, I let Neil -who has lived 8 years in Taiwan- brew a couple of times. This allows me to take a few pictures.

With the Ali Shan Jinxuan, we experienced the lightness and fine power of a spring high moutain Oolong. Everybody was pleased by its sweet, creamy aftertaste.

The fall 2011 Lushan Luanze Oolong we tasted the stronger, riper aromas of a fall Oolong. Also, while less fragrant, the Luanze Oolong brings more body and a stronger aftertaste.

But this strength and warmth became even more obvious with the Hung Shui Oolong. Eric made an interesting observation: he had had roasted and unroasted Oolongs before, but this one managed to combine both the roast and the fresh characteristics. Its roasting is just right, very well balanced. For this tea, we were amazed how the dry leaves would smell finer and sweeter in the jar than in the plastic foil. Just a few seconds made a difference.

We used this Celadon ever (by David Louveau) to add water in the testubin. The thin spout creates a fine and slow flow that conveys a graceful and peaceful mood.

We finished with a brew of a spring 2011 Yunnan Dian Hong I recently added to my selection. The leaves were harvested in Mojiang (Midi). What makes them special is that they come from 100 years old big trees. Usually, the farmer would use them to make wild puerh cakes. But this spring he used them to make Dian Hong, a red tea (fully oxidized).

The sweet, fruity smells from the porcelain jar make us salivate. I used my silver teapot to brew just a few leaves (opened, they occupy around 10-20% of the volume of the teapot only!) Silver is neutral like porcelain, but it stays at a much, much higher temperature. It will emphasize both the good and the bad.

The result was absolutely stunning. Like all teas we had tasted, it had a very clean start (and great clarity to the eye), but this Cha Qi tasted so refined and endless. Perfection.

These good teas were easy on our stomachs, but they helped to open our appetite. So, we headed to a typical Chinese, mountain restaurant nearby. Good tea, fresh food, passionate tea friends. We felt so close even though we had just met! The 5 hours we had spent together felt like minutes.